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Rep. Darryl Scott, a Dover Democrat and chair of the House Education committee, will not seek re-election in November after six years in the state House of Representatives.

Scott said the demands of campaigning for a two-year House seat and serving as a state representative were too much to balance with additional responsibilities at work and his home life. Scott is director of accounts management for Sitel, a Nasvhille, Tenn.-based business outsourcing firm.

"It's the right time for me and my family, for us to step back, take a break and look at opportunities to serve sometime in the future," Scott said in an interview from his Legislative Hall office. "I intend to serve through the remainder of my term but not having a campaign in the mix is part of what I think will allow me to balance and make it through November."

Scott, who was an elected member of the Capital School District Board of Education for three years before toppling longtime Republican Rep. Nancy Wagner in 2008, has often been an authoritative voice on education issues inside Legislative Hall.

Scott was a sponsor of 2013 legislation backed by Gov. Jack Markell that more strictly regulated charter schools and provided more public funding. Scott says he is working on legislation that would allow school districts to raise property taxes to cover operational expenses without asking district residents to approve the tax hike in a referendum.

His departure will not alter the balance of political power in Dover. Democrats control 27 seats in the 41-member chamber. The party also controls a two-to-one registration advantage over Republicans in his Dover district. No candidates have registered to run for Scott's seat.

Contact Jonathan Starkey at 983-6756, on Twitter @jwstarkey or at jstarkey@delawareonline.com.